ADVANCED MOVEMENT LAB #515A
ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE FOR ACTORS
BABETTE MARKUS
310.922.6023
Office Hours: Available by appointment.
Course Description
This course will present the principles and practices of the Alexander Technique and their application to acting. Using the AT principles – awareness, observation, thinking in activity, using thought to change habits – we will explore how the students “use” themselves in daily activity. This involves the recognition of oneself as a character, with habitual patterns of movement, voice, breathing and expression.
As this awareness becomes clear, we then begin the process of subtracting our unconscious habitual reactions in order to bring the student closer to his/her essential self. This leads the actor to true spontaneous response (not habit driven).
FM Alexander called this “psycho-physical re-education.” A healthy by-product of this “re-education” is a tangible improvement in coordination, posture, flexibility and freedom of movement. This leads to what he called “respiratory re-education”. Well-coordinated respiratory function is based on proper functioning of the integrated body/mind. Good vocal production is enhanced by optimal breathing coordination.
Each lesson will incorporate “Activities” to illustrate Alexander concepts in an experiential way.
We can then focus on specific interests: Stage presence, performance anxiety, stage movement, speaking and singing voice, dance, connecting mind, emotions, and body, and so on.
The actual time frame may shift with the progress of the class. It is important to build a strong foundation in AT while applying these new AT tools to theater craft.
Goals & Objectives
- Practical and theoretical knowledge of the principles and practices of the Alexander Technique, including expanded awareness of habits in daily activity.
- Improvement in the student’s kinesthetic sense, coordination and ease of movement, including breathing coordination.
- Further the student’s understanding of integration of mind/body.
- Develop self-care skills for dealing with daily stress and performance anxiety, for greater access to freedom and creativity, as well as professional preparedness.
- Apply the Alexander Principles to breathing coordination, vocal production, and acting at a beginning level.
NOTE: The Goals and Objectives for this course are in service of the GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN ACTINGLEARNING OBJECTIVES as follows:
●To train and develop the acting skills and to cultivate the talent of each actor-student so that he or she is able to create, embody, and play a character from any period of dramatic literature in any performance medium.
●To provide each actor-student with practical as well as skills-based preparation for a professional career.
●
Required Reading
Body Learning by Michael Gelb -Buy it now! Read by October 4th.
Various handoutswill be posted on Blackboard. You will be asked to print selected items and bring to class. Keep an online of paper file of all the handouts because you will be asked to refer back to them later.
Class Meetings
Class: Tuesdays, 12-1:50 pm
Tutorials: Tuesdays, 2-2:50 pm to be arranged with instructor
Location: MCC 112
Final Exam: Final paper TBA
Grading Policy
AWork of excellent quality
BWork of fair quality
CWork of substandard quality
DWork of dire quality
Grading Assessment: 100 possible points
All points are awarded based on prompt and effective completion of stated requirements. Based on class participation, journals, midterm and final paper.
30 pts. Journals: Journals must be turned in as assigned. Each journal paper is worth 10 points; unexcused late journals may be docked up to 5 points. Journals must be typed and turned in on Blackboard, dates TBA
20 pts. Midterm journal based on assigned reading; 2-3 pages
25 pts.Final paper, 3-4 pages, due date TBA
25 pts. Achieved Goals& Objectives;5 stated goals, 5 pts. each.
Evaluation is based on student’s regular attendance and participation.
This course is a Lab of Movement 515A, and therefore grades will be rolled into the grades for that course.
Attendance, Tardiness, Absences
We expect the highest level of commitment from MFA actors. Lateness is not tolerated without prior notice. Unexcused absences are not permitted. Communication with the instructor is essential in case of emergency or illness. Violation of these requirements will result in disciplinary measures.
Course Assignments & Class Schedule
Week1 – Explore Mind/Body Connection--Alexander Technique principles- awareness, inhibition and direction;introduce Active Rest lying-down practice using the thinking and inactivity to elicit stress reduction and direction; introduce spatial thinking
Activity: Moving heads
Activity: Singing and moving
HANDOUTS: Syllabus; AT Overview; AT Made Easy/AT Concepts; Journal Instructions
HOMEWORK: Observe heads and necks
JOURNAL 1: Introduce yourself
Week 2 – Explore Primary Control--change your mind to change your body; body language and the head/neck relationship; how does this relate to the head, neck and spine,Primary Control?Review Active Rest, lying-down practice thinking and inactivity to elicit stress reduction and direction, including spatial thinking
Activity: Explore weight of head
Activity: Sit/Stand
HANDOUTS: Gorman Spine/AO joint; ATI 1st Lesson; Active Rest/ AT and performer
HOMEWORK: Active Rest
Week 3 – Mechanics of Sitting/Standing--identify our individual sitting habits; Directing length and width; widening the pelvis in order to bend
Activity: Trying on each other’s sit/stand patterns
Activity: Active Rest
HANDOUT: Set of Directions
Week 4 – Gait Analysis--examine habits in walking; Animal movement; Head leading, Body following in walking; Active Rest
Activity: Trying on each other’s walks
HANDOUTS: British Medical Journal; Cherns on Acting
JOURNAL 2: Discovering your habits in movement: Is your head leading, body following? What do you know about your own patterns? How are you working with the principles of Awareness, Inhibition and Directions?
Week 5 – Integration Class-- Directing is thinking; Primary Control; non-doing; end gaining; widening; secondary directions, as torso back and up and front length; practice Monkey; Active Rest
Activity: Bending and Monkey
HANDOUTS: Actors and Directors on AT; Selected Quotes
Week 6 – Functional Anatomy--use a skeleton to explore skeletal structure; anatomy from AT point of view and vice-versa; review basic body mechanics from mechanical p.o.v. i.e. structural loads, levers, columns and beams; tensegrity model
Activity: Palpating body landmarks
HANDOUTS: Back Muscles/Multifudus; Upright/Neck & Vocal Structures; Skeleton, Netter; Gorman AO + skull; Pelvis Netter +Pelvis Conable
Week 7 – Clarify use of shoulders and arms--explore relationship of head/neck to shoulder girdle and arms; habits in use of arms; good “use” of arms based on primary control and length and width of back; connect arms with support of the back; reaching, lifting, pushing, pulling
Activity: Use of arms in activities, exercise, martial arts, etc.
HANDOUTS: MIDTERM JOURNAL Prompt: 3 Checkpoints from Body Learning
Week8 – Application of AT Principles to Activities--staying with AT and spatial directions as you move; warm-ups; stretching; squatting; use of arms; Active Rest and silent counting
Activity: Stretching; Rolling down
HANDOUTS: Significant Concepts; P D’A. AT Principles; Working out, P.Bee; Running, Balk
MIDTERM JOURNAL DUE
Class 9 – Training the Squat--taking the load off the legs; squat as four-legged movement; connecting arms to back; importance of back in Breathing Coordination;
Activity: Finessing the squat
Activity: Lunges, Plies and port-de-bras
HANDOUTS: Matthews on Squatting
Week 10 – Applied Ergonomics--basic information about ergonomics and your relationship to the objects in your environment; your desk, chair, computer, car, etc.; simple ergonomic solutions
Activity: Ergonomic evaluation in computer lab
HANDOUTS: Resolving RSI, Comfort Zones, checklist, choosing a chair, laptops
HOMEWORK: Re-organize your home and workplace ergonomically
Week 11 – Active Warm-up/Active Character--what do you do to warm-up, physically and vocally? Using your more reliable sensory appreciation; end-gaining / means whereby or process / product; observing your acting/playing/singing habits
Activity: Guided active AT warm-ups
Activity: Going in and out of character’s physicality, breath and voice
HANDOUTS: Warming Up, L. Marshall; Richmond’s Actor as Two People
Journal 3: Learning Text Prompt
Week12 – Introduce AT Approach to Breathing--anatomy of breathing; movement of rib cage and diaphragm; how to stop interfering with breathing process; effortless, efficient breathing; introduce Whispered Ah
Activity: Draw breathing models
HANDOUTS: Gorman Thorax Front/Back; Diaphragm/ J.Wolf, “Green Machine”
HOMEWORK: Download and review Breathing Coordination principles, Home Page, and Help Yourself;
Week13–Breathing Coordination and 3-DMovement--review/refine breathing anatomy, silent lalalas and silent counting; visualizing movement in whole torso
Activity: Explore amber light
Activity: Rib animation video
HANDOUTS: Olsen on Breathing; Breathing Appendix/ Exploded Torso
Week 14 – Breathing Coordination Practice--Whispered Ah; vocalized counting; vowel sounds; sustained sounds; doing less; connect voice with communicating; how does your character breathe?
Activity: Stough video
HANDOUTS: Directions for Whispered Ah; Whispered Ah, J Wolf; Whispered Ahs, Carrington
Week 15 - Applying AT to Movement Pieces--bring in your work in progress; preparation for your work in rehearsal and onstage
Activity: Monologuesor movement pieces
HANDOUTS: Final Exam Prompt
FINAL EXAM: Due date TBA
Statement for Students with Disabilities
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Support Systems
A number of USC’s schools provide support for students who need help with scholarly writing. Check with your advisor or program staff to find out more. Students whose primary language is not English should check with the American Language Institute which sponsors courses and workshops specifically for international graduate students.
The Office of Disability Services and Programs certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations. If an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency Informationwill provide safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued by means of blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technology.
Emergency Preparedness/Course Continuity in a Crisis
In case of a declared emergency if travel to campus is not feasible, USC executive leadership will announce an electronic way for instructors to teach students in their residence halls or homes using a combination of Blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technologies.
NOTE: This is a hands-on class in which I put gentle hands on all students to guide you in movement. My hands are intentional and educational and respectful. If any student has any objection to this part of the practice, please let me know and we will work things out. Thank you for your participation in this activity.